


Triangles (Three Points Where Two Lines Meet)

by idyllic_idioms



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Canon Era, Friends to Lovers, Gwaine Being Gwaine (Merlin), Jealousy, Light D/s, M/M, Multi, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Possessive Behavior, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:28:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29718585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idyllic_idioms/pseuds/idyllic_idioms
Summary: Gwaine is sick of Merlin pining after Arthur, so he decides to help out his friend and make Arthur jealous.He doesn't expect to struggle with his own feelings in the process.
Relationships: Gwaine/Merlin (Merlin), Gwaine/Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 124





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic turned out a lot longer than expected. It was meant to be a short and sweet pwp, but uh, it's turned out to be nearly 10k. 
> 
> Title from [Tesselate by alt-J](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg6BwvDcANg), a song that's either about the heartbreak of a love triangle or about a sexy threesome. ;)
> 
> Beta'd by SwanFloatieKnight. All remaining errors are my own.

“Alright, I can’t stand this,” Gwaine announced to nobody in particular. 

Like any normal day, they were out on the training fields. And, like any normal day, Merlin was standing on the side, staring sadly at Arthur. The king was sparring with one of the knights, dressed in a simple white tunic. His skin was gleaming a bit from the heat and his hair shone brightly golden in the sunlight.

Gwaine could _understand_ the attraction that Merlin had written all over his face. Very easily, in fact. But that was no excuse for the young man to look so hopeless.

He stuck his sword in the sand and jogged up to his friend. “Merlin, I’m _begging_ you, once again, to stop it with the sad puppy face. It makes my heart hurt.”

Merlin barely even looked up. “I heard you in the tavern last night, Gwaine.”

“Yes! And what did I say, yesterday?”

“That I look pathetic and I should stop.”

“Exactly. You look pathetic. You should stop. Either you give up on him, or you tell him how you feel.”

Merlin finally looked up, distressed. “I can’t tell him, he loves Gwen. She’s his _queen_!”

Gwaine sighed. Merlin would be so lost without him. Good thing he was here to teach him. “It’s possible to be in love with two people at once, Merlin. And if you’d pay attention to other people every once in a while, you’d have noticed that Arthur and Gwen are _very_ open to that concept.”

“Really?” Merlin’s eyes were big.

“Ask Lancelot.”

“Oh,” Merlin said, blushing. “That explains all the kissing. Oh, I get it now.”

Gwaine clapped Merlin on the shoulder. “See? Now go up to him and tell him how you feel.”

Right in that moment, Merlin let out a gasp. Gwaine looked back at Arthur and saw that their king had taken his shirt off. Sun-bronzed skin stretched over his nicely defined chest and abs, and even Gwaine had to take a moment to regain his composure.

“I can’t do it, Gwaine,” Merlin whimpered. “I can’t. I am _not_ capable of just -- going up to him and -- _tell_ him about my feelings! He would laugh in my face!”

Finally, Gwaine had enough. It was time to do something about this. “That’s it. I’m going to prove to you that he likes you too.” With a glint in his eye, he leaned in close to whisper in Merlin’s ear. “We’ll make him jealous. Just follow my lead, yeah?” And he grabbed Merlin’s face to kiss his pretty lips.

Merlin was unresponsive for a moment, but then returned the kiss, bringing one hand up to rest at Gwaine’s chest. As far as kisses went, it was a pretty spectacular one in Gwaine’s opinion. Merlin’s lips were soft and warm, and he smelled really nice. For how often he’d stared at those lips, the kiss was like something straight from his fantasies.

One of the knights started hooting and Gwaine let go. He winked at Merlin, then turned around to return to training.

*****

That evening, Gwaine found himself outside of Arthur’s chambers. Arthur had not made any comments on the kiss, though other knights had elbowed him after and cheered him on. If Arthur had looked at Gwaine differently than normal, Gwaine hadn’t been able to take notice. The king had been shirtless still, and Gwaine was only human.

So, he had to focus harder this time. Watch Arthur's face carefully. Wait for anything he could point out to Merlin as irrefutable evidence that their king was as hopelessly in love with Merlin as Merlin was with him.

Gwaine knocked on the door.

Arthur opened it. “Oh, Gwaine. What are you doing here?” 

Gwaine put on his most charming smile. “I’m here for Merlin, Your Highness.”

Arthur squinted at his knight. “Merlin?”

“Yes,” Gwaine said as he tried to look over Arthur’s shoulder. “Is he here?”

“I’m here,” a voice piped up from the room.

“Is there any _reason_ why you came to _my_ chambers for _my_ manservant, Gwaine?”

“Oh,” Gwaine said, feigning coyness by looking at his feet. “Sorry, my bad. I must have misunderstood. I thought Merlin was allowed early leave tonight, so I came to pick him up for our romantic outing.”

“Your romantic outing?” Arthur demanded. “ _What_?”

Merlin appeared at his side. “Arthur, come on. You did say I could leave after I changed the sheets. I’m done, let me go.”

Arthur whacked Merlin’s head. “I changed my mind. Gwaine can’t come in here and take you away from me -- I mean, your duties.” He stuck his nose up in the air. “Actually, I will take a bath tonight.”

“You took one this afternoon!”

“No bother. Fetch me the bath and the water, Merlin.”

Merlin looked exasperated. “I can send another servant to do that for you, sire.” 

It appeared they were back to arguing as usual. It was going well: there was no reason for Arthur to keep Merlin away from one of his finest knights -- other than jealousy. Gwaine cleared his throat and said, “Well, I think it’s time for me to leave. It appears I’m imposing on something.”

“Imposing? I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Arthur said with an indignant tone in his voice. With a sideways glance at Merlin and a sigh, he added, “Fine. Get someone else to prepare my bath, and you can leave.”

Merlin grinned widely. “Really? Thank you, sire.”

“You will be here an hour early tomorrow!” Arthur called after him, then slammed the door shut. Gwaine and Merlin shared a look.

“To the tavern?” Gwaine asked.

“To the tavern,” Merlin confirmed.

*****

Gwaine nudged Merlin's side as they slid down onto the bench, armed with ale. “That went great, huh?”

Merlin shook his head. “That prat. He’s so insufferable. I’m glad I got out, though.”

“You’re glad? He was definitely jealous. He loves you.”

“You think? I think he just likes making me miserable.”

With the way Merlin constantly complained about the king, you’d forget he was in love with him. It was clear that Arthur and he were made for each other, when Gwaine considered their earlier bickering. Both liked to express their love infatuation in similar ways. Gwaine drummed his fingers on the table, wondering how to make Merlin see.

With a frown, he settled on: “He told me he intended to get naked in front of you. Straight to my face. Clearly, he was trying to assert ownership over you.”

“I don’t know if Arthur’s even capable of thinking that far,” Merlin smiled sadly into his tankard. “Regardless, I’d rather be here with you than log buckets of water up and down the stairs.”

“That’s pretty sweet, actually,” Gwaine commented. He took a big swig from his ale.

*****

Four drinks later, Merlin asked, “What did you think of our kiss?”

Gwaine’s eyes burned into the table, unable to look up. That damned kiss. The entire afternoon, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. “I think it was pretty great,” he mumbled.

“Really?” Merlin giggled. “Me too.” He carelessly let his head fall to Gwaine’s shoulder, and Gwaine felt a blush creep up. “I know I talk a lot about Arthur, but I’ve always really liked you, Gwaine.”

Gwaine lifted up a hand to pet Merlin’s head. He couldn’t help but stare at the other man’s lips, wet and shiny from the beer. “Is that so?”

“Yes. And then you suddenly kissed me. Even if it was just to make His Royal Prat jealous, it was a really nice kiss. I wanna do it again.” He sat up. “Let’s do it again.”

That was an invitation if Gwaine ever heard one. He put a hand to Merlin’s chin and leaned in gently. The younger man’s pretty lips tasted of the bitter alcohol they’d been drinking, but under that was a sweet tinge of pure Merlin. Gwaine wedged his tongue between his lips as Merlin eagerly let him in. 

They kissed like that for a few minutes. Merlin’s hand rested initially at his neck, but then it started wandering. It moved slowly along Gwaine’s shoulder, his chest, and then to his back where he squeezed his bum. Gwaine let out a laugh. 

“Bit more intimate than this afternoon, huh?” he whispered. Merlin nodded, chasing his lips again. “Maybe we should stop.”

Merlin withdrew immediately like he was hurt. “You don’t like it?”

“No, no,” Gwaine laughed. “I like it a bit too much. I’m thinking that maybe we should move it somewhere else. If you’d like?”

Merlin blinked a few times in confusion but then smiled widely. “Oh, yes! Yes. Take me to your chambers.”

*****

The moment the door closed behind them, Gwaine pushed the younger man up against it to kiss him senseless. He moved to his neck, to gently suck at the soft skin there. Desire pooled in his belly as his cock hardened.

It didn’t matter that Merlin’s heart belonged to somebody else. Gwaine had never been one to look a gift horse in the mouth. 

Merlin asked, “How come we’ve never done this before?”

Gwaine paused his work for a moment. “Well, you’re always so desperately hung up on Arthur.”

“You never noticed that I’m interested in you, too? Gwen always teases me about it.”

Hmm. Neither of them was particularly drunk, but from experience Gwaine knew that his friend was inebriated enough to lose any sort of brain-to-mouth filter. There was no reason to assume Merlin was lying or dressing up the truth as something prettier. But he knew the way Merlin talked about their king, and he knew he couldn’t live up to that.

“Merlin, we’re alone together in the tavern every weekend, and you only ever talk about Arthur,” Gwaine said gently as he kissed the purple love bite that had formed on Merlin’s neck. 

Merlin said with a sigh, “I’m sorry. Can we lose some clothes now?”

That sounded a lot more sensible than holding an awkward conversation. Gwaine pushed Merlin’s tunic up and over his head, then let his hands freely roam over all the naked, hot skin exposed to him. He led him to the bed, getting rid of his own shirt in the process.

He laid on top of Merlin as he did his best to pull the other man’s breeches down. But before he could move to grab his cock, Merlin pushed him back and rolled them over. He straddled Gwaine and kissed him hotly one final time before moving downwards.

“Oh, Merlin, you don’t have to --” 

“Shut up,” Merlin said, taking Gwaine’s cock out of his pants. “I really want to do this.”

With that, he kissed the tip of Gwaine’s erection. Then he licked the head, giving it an explorative taste. Moved his tongue down and up again the length in short strokes. 

Gwaine moved his hand to the top of Merlin’s head. As Merlin opened his raspberry-red lips and took him in, Gwaine gently stroked his hair. “Yeah, sweetheart, that’s very good.”

He had definitely spent a fair share of his time fantasizing about his friend’s mouth before. Those daydreams, however, could never live up to the reality of it: Merlin rocking his mouth up and down his cock, the soft and wet heat enveloping him, tongue doing -- something. Gwaine’s fist clenched down into dark hair, forgetting himself and pushing down as he moaned loudly.

Merlin let out a strangled moan in return. Gwaine quickly let go, saying, “Sorry, so sorry, Merlin.”

“It’s fine,” the other man said as he smiled up, a twinkle in his eye. Carefully he took Gwaine’s cock back in as far as he could take him, sucking down. He returned to his previous activity, straining for a faster pace than before. Gwaine’s head fell back on the pillow with a groan. He felt Merlin tap at his hand, to guide it back to where it had rested on the back of his head. Gently, Gwaine pulled on Merlin’s hair in a more controlled manner.

Heat was rising in his gut. He wondered about Merlin’s cock, aching to see it and feel it. Merlin’s mouth felt _so_ good, but he couldn’t go on for much longer like this. His fist tugged at Merlin’s hair more insistently. “Merlin, if you continue I will finish much sooner than I’d like,” he prompted.

Merlin pulled off. “Not yet,” he said as he moved back up, taking Gwaine’s mouth with his own.

“Not yet,” Gwaine agreed against his lips. He could taste himself on Merlin’s tongue, which was strangely arousing. He ran his finger down the curve of Merlin’s jaw. He was so beautiful. “Can I fuck you?” he asked gently, his heart fluttering.

Merlin bit his lip. “Do you have oil?”

Gwaine nodded in the direction of his bedside drawers. As Merlin leaned over, he was treated to the view of his phenomenal arse. He reached out to grab it playfully. “You didn’t say yes.” 

With the vial of oil in his hand, Merlin looked him straight in the eye as he said, “Words can’t describe how much I need your cock inside me right now.”

Gwaine blinked and swallowed. A wave of heat shot through his body. “Noted. Just to check, you’ve done this before?”

“Yes, I can prepare myself --”

“No, let me do it,” Gwaine said as he grabbed the vial. Merlin let him flip them over, with Gwaine back on top. He coated his fingers thickly with the oil and then wriggled his fingers between his cheeks, finding his hole and gently pushed in one finger. With his other hand, he finally grabbed Merlin’s thick and hard cock. He stimulated it lazily as he fingered the younger man.

“C’mon --” Merlin moaned under a hitched breath. “Give me _more_ \--”

“You want more?” Gwaine asked, kissing Merlin’s forehead as he added a second finger. After a few moments, it slid in smoothly next to the first one. “You feel so good, sweetheart. You’re opening up so well for me. Can you handle a third finger now?”

“Can handle your cock now,” Merlin whined as he pressed open mouthed kisses to Gwaine’s neck. 

“A third finger it is,” Gwaine said sweetly as he pressed it in. Merlin groaned, and Gwaine let go of his cock to run his free hand up and down Merlin’s side instead. “So good for me. I wanna do this with my mouth next time.”

Merlin moaned again. “Mouth?” His hips ground up, his hard length pushing against Gwaine’s.

“You like that idea? You want me to lick you open, put my tongue inside you as my fingers work you open? I could do it now --”

“No!” Merlin yelped, grabbing at Gwaine’s shoulders to keep him where he was. “Next time. Need your cock now.”

Gwaine smiled against the top of Merlin’s head. Gods, next time. His heart ached for a moment, wondering how sincere that promise was.

Now, he needed to feel him on his cock.

He withdrew his fingers and relocated the oil to apply it to his cock. “Move, I want to take you from behind.” 

Enthusiastically, Merlin spun around and stuck his arse up in the air. 

Gwaine kissed his shoulder blade. Merlin was so perfect for him, so eager to get fucked. He lined his cock up and at a slow pace he pushed it in. He smirked into Merlin’s shoulders as the man underneath him let out a moan and whispered obscenities under his breath.

Once his cock was buried deep, he stayed perfectly still for a moment. Merlin was holding a breath, and Gwaine tried to coax it out of him by running a hand up and down his side body. In response, Merlin let out a hitched breath and wiggled his hips back against Gwaine’s. Gwaine took that as the okay to continue.

As he started to move, everything narrowed down to just the two of them. The thrusts of his cock into the tight heat of Merlin’s body, the sight of Merlin’s hands clasping into the sheets, the frantic breathing coming from the man under him. He shoved his hand into Merlin’s hair again, pulling his head back to kiss and bite up the side of his neck. 

“So good for me,” Gwaine whispered in between kisses. He nudged Merlin’s hips up higher to sneak his hand onto his friend’s cock. In the process, the angle changed and it clearly did something right for Merlin. 

“Oh, that’s it,” he moaned loudly. Gwaine smirked as he attempted to time his thrusts with his hand tugging on Merlin’s erection.

He could feel himself nearing the edge, but his mind focused on Merlin. Judging by the moans of the man under him, he wasn’t the only one getting close. He bit into his neck again, and Merlin yelped at that. Warm seed spilled over Gwaine’s hand and with that, he lost himself too. His own orgasm came on the next deep thrust in, releasing inside Merlin.

Merlin’s knees gave out and so did Gwaine’s as the two collapsed onto the mattress, Gwaine flat on top of Merlin. His sensitive cock wasn’t in a comfortable position but he couldn’t be bothered to take it out just yet.

“Gwaine,” Merlin mumbled under him.

“Yeah?”

“That was amazing.”

Gwaine smiled down at the back of Merlin’s head lazily. “Stay here with me tonight.”

*****

They woke up to the sound of a chambermaid squealing and the door to Gwaine’s room slamming shut. 

“Oh no,” Merlin gasped, sitting up with a start. “Arthur! I’m late!”

“Mmmhm,” Gwaine groaned, refusing to do any more than opening his eyes. 

Both of them were sticky and filthy. They hadn’t bothered to get up last night to clean themselves up after the deed, and now it was time to pay the price. Merlin picked up last night’s shirt and sniffed it, then pulled a face. 

“I can’t show up to him like this, I’m disgusting,” he whined. 

“Take one of my shirts,” Gwaine said, still not in the mood to get up quite yet. He vaguely waved at the dresser. 

Merlin held up one of his shirts. “Gwaine, you’re bigger than me.”

“Thanks,” he mumbled, feigning offense.

“That’s a compliment.”

“Oh.” Gwaine wagged his eyebrows. “Bigger like _that_ , you mean?”

Merlin threw his dirty tunic at his friend’s head, which -- yeah, he kinda deserved. He pulled on Gwaine’s clothes and though it was a bit big, it looked ridiculously adorable. Gwaine smiled brightly at the sight. The light brown colour complimented Merlin’s skin, and it paired well with the jacket he put on over it. 

The two hickeys, which made Gwaine’s morning wood stir inquisitively, were tragically covered up with the ever-present scarf. Gwaine pouted, but Merlin just rolled his eyes. Before leaving the room, Merlin stood at the door for a moment, hesitating as if trying to say something. But all that came out was “See you later,” and then Merlin was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not going to tag every single sex act, but slight content warning (?) for rimming in this chapter.

Gwaine decided to refrain from seeking out Merlin in the days that followed. Their night together had been fun, but he didn’t want to risk their easy friendship by pushing for more. And Merlin was clearly more interested in the king -- if _that_ alternative was on offer Gwaine knew that he would have to face a rejection. 

If Merlin wanted to see him, the younger man knew where to find him. Gwaine wasn’t going to risk it right now.

Of course, the castle wasn’t big enough to avoid running into Merlin. 

(Not that he was doing any avoiding. No way. Nope.) 

Two days after Merlin had left his bedroom in haste, Gwaine saw him again. It was another sunny afternoon and Arthur had called for a training session out on the grounds. 

Coincidentally -- really, Gwaine wasn’t avoiding _anyone_ \--, it was also the first time he saw Arthur since stealing Merlin away from him for their fake date that had later turned real. Arthur seemed to be fairly annoyed, but there was no reason to assume it was related to Gwaine. 

Maybe someone had served him blueberries for breakfast when he had really been in the mood for strawberries. You never knew with these royal types.

Though now that Gwaine was paying attention to it, all the words Arthur directed at him seemed to be yelled rather than spoken. And, whereas most knights got a moment of rest in between most fights, Gwaine couldn’t help but notice that he was ordered to keep going fight after fight. 

Maybe some of that annoyance _was_ aimed at Gwaine specifically.

He was sparring with Lancelot when he noticed Merlin enter the side of the field. He was losing quite spectacularly, but who could blame him? He had just endured six consecutive matches, while Lancelot had been sitting on his pretty arse.

That morning, the brown tunic that he had lent to Merlin had appeared unceremoniously in his dresser, washed and returned without notice. Gwaine had tried not to think about it. But he couldn’t help but notice that Merlin was currently dressed without a jacket in a deep burgundy red, long-sleeved tunic. It looked too big on him. He tore his eyes away to block one of Lancelot’s moves just in time, and while the swords hit each other he realized with a pang in his heart that it was one of Arthur’s tunics.

The fight ended with him on the ground, sword to his neck. Lancelot stuck out an arm to help him up. “And that was me going easy on you,” Lancelot remarked, shaking his head.

“Shut up,” Gwaine said, shooting his fellow knight a toothy grin. His eyes, however, were on the other side of the field where Merlin stood. He was caught up in conversation with one of the knights’ squires.

Lancelot looked back at Merlin, his attire, and his utter lack of interest in Gwaine, and then raised his eyebrows at Gwaine. “Good luck with that.” 

Gwaine was about to approach Merlin and strike a conversation, but he was stopped by Arthur.

“You’re not done yet!” Arthur barked at him.

“Are you serious? You need to let me have a rest for _one_ minute, Arthur --”

“No need to address your king in such a way, _Gwaine_ ,” Arthur said. “That fight with Lancelot looked like absolute trash. Go again!”

Gwaine sighed and rolled his eyes, but drew his sword nonetheless. “Against whom, _sire_?”

“Me.” Arthur drew his own sword and held the blade out to his knight. Heart beating in his chest, Gwaine chanced a look over at Merlin, who gave him a nervous smile upon making eye contact.

“Let’s do this,” Gwaine breathed and so they did. Arthur wasted no time before directly going on the offense, stepping forward to lash out at Gwaine. Gwaine blocked him easily -- _clang_ \-- and stepped sideways to strike out at Arthur himself. _Clang!_

They circled each other like that, attacking each other in turns. The clanging of their weapons was all Gwaine could hear, an unsteady beat he danced to. He stepped forward, cut his sword upwards, got parried, stumbled backwards, and reflexively blocked the next attack again. Sweat was pooling on his neck and his breath was heavy. Vaguely, he took notice of people staring at them. Nobody dared to get too close. He couldn’t break eye contact with Arthur, who had a determined look in his eyes. 

The lack of rest was slowly getting to Gwaine, his knees rubbery. He noticed that Arthur seemed to struggle similarly, as his opponent missed a beat while he tried to catch a breath. With a spring in his step, Gwaine struck down forcefully. Arthur caught up just in time to block the attack; his blade snapping through the air as he did so. 

With a jerk, Gwaine lost grip on the leather hilt of his sword and it went flying through the air.

As his weapon landed in the sand with a soft _thud_ , Gwaine found himself at Arthur’s mercy with the tip of his blade aimed at him. For a moment he stared at his king _hard_ , then he lowered his eyes as he took a step back.

“Well fought,” he said as Arthur lowered his sword and retreated. 

“Well fought,” Arthur agreed, his stance firm. “Take a rest, you look terrible.”

Gwaine shot a grimace up at the other man. “Yeah, and whose fault is that?”

*****

After his defeat against Arthur, Merlin had been nowhere to be seen. He’d slipped away as quietly as he’d come in.

Gwaine was glad for it. He still wasn’t sure how to feel. The night they had shared together he had enjoyed thoroughly, but something in their friendship had changed.

His sheets were changed upon his return to his room after the training session. For some reason, his heart dropped as he realised they would no longer smell like Merlin. 

A realisation which was… creepy. Objectively.

In hindsight, maybe Gwaine should have thought it through before jumping into bed with his best friend. He had _known_ that Merlin was besotted with Arthur. Just because his friend had said all those sweet words to him, didn’t change that he’d always put Arthur first. How many times had he heard Merlin’s drunken drivel about _destiny_ and _two sides of the same coin_?

The words _“Next time,_ ” echoed through his head.

He shouldn’t have been so stupid to bring his own emotions into it. His goal had been to help Merlin and make Arthur jealous, and clearly it had worked. The red of Merlin’s attire earlier was the same ruby colour Arthur normally dressed in, which felt like some sort of retaliation towards Gwaine for lending his clothes to Merlin. 

Yeah, Arthur was sufficiently jealous.

Maybe it meant he had finally pulled his head out of his arse and made his move on Merlin. Gwaine had _no_ right to be upset about it either way. It wasn’t even his business to ponder on it, really. 

A knock on his door took him out of his thoughts. He raised his head from where he laid dejected in his bed. “Come in.”

A serving girl stepped in. “His Majesty requests your presence.”

His head fell back down. “Wonderful,” he responded with a sigh.

*****

Outside His Majesty’s door, Gwaine kindly jerked his head at the servant. She took the hint and curtsied before leaving him behind.

His heart pounding ( _why was he nervous?_ ), he raised his knuckles to the door and tapped them. A few seconds later, the door opened and there stood Merlin.

“Thank the gods, you came!” Merlin exclaimed, seeming relieved. He stepped aside to let him in.

Arthur sat at the table, where bread and a wine decanter were laid out next to a set of burning candles in elegant silver candle holders. He looked up at Gwaine with an unreadable expression. “Come in.”

Tentatively, Gwaine approached his king. “You asked to see me?” 

Arthur motioned at the empty chair to the right of him. “Take a seat.”

Gwaine did as he was told. On his way there, his brain had helpfully supplied dozens of reasons why Arthur would call him to his chamber. But none of the scenarios he’d imagined started with being invited to sit down for a meal and a drink.

“Merlin had cordially suggested that we need to talk,” Arthur supplied.

“Um,” Merlin interrupted from where he had crouched down to tend to the fire. “More accurately, I told him _I_ need to have a talk with you. He just insisted on doing it now.”

“Merlin,” Arthur said, “Lenore only brought out two cups for the wine. Please fetch us a third.”

Merlin got up, standing tall. “You’re asking me to leave _now_?” he asked incredulously. Some soot was at his nose. The corner of Gwaine’s lips crooked up. 

“I’m graciously allowing you to drink wine with me while you’re on the _job_ \--”

“Some _job_ you’re asking me to do,” Merlin grumbled, but he protested no further. The door slammed behind him on his way out.

A moment of silence passed between Gwaine and Arthur, nothing but the sound of the gently crackling fire. 

Arthur looked Gwaine in the eye. “Allow me,” he said, grabbing the wine. Gwaine gave a nod as he watched Arthur’s hands wrap around the decanter. Dark red drink was poured into a cup and Gwaine accepted it. When Arthur finished pouring his own, he immediately brought the cup to his lips and took a sip.

Gwaine followed suit. Then, as he set the cup down, he said, “Why did you send Merlin away?” He was _not_ interested in talking about his feelings for Merlin or the status of Arthur and Merlin’s courtship. But if he was going to be berated for anything, it was best to get it over with.

“I wanted to talk about him.”

Gwaine rolled his eyes. “Yeah, duh. Go on.”

Arthur looked uncertain. “First, I feel I should apologise.” He took another sip.

An apology from Arthur? That was unexpected. “Oh?”

“Merlin cleared some things up this afternoon. It made me realise my conduct towards you has been improper,” Arthur started, then fell silent again. 

“Improper?”

Arthur fidgeted with the cup in his hands. “You two led me to believe you were romantically involved. So I believed it.”

Gwaine looked at the door, but it was too late. They were talking about this. If he got out now, Arthur would draw his own conclusions anyway. 

“I’ve been trying to make my intentions of courtship towards Merlin clear for some time, and I thought this was his way of rejecting me. I reacted to that with jealousy and anger, and told Merlin as much. When it turned out he reciprocated my feelings, I proceeded to ignore any liaison between you two in my actions. As far as I was aware, I aided Merlin in betraying you and that’s morally not fair to you.”

Blinking up at Arthur, Gwaine tried his best to process all this. With a slight frown, he asked, “You were courting Merlin without his knowledge? How?”

Arthur looked up at the ceiling, thinking. “I had someone else arrange dinners for us. I took him for walks on the castle grounds on sunny days. I gave him _flowers_.”

Gwaine had heard about the flowers. Or rather, he had heard Merlin complain of the random stack of weeds Arthur had pushed on him after a trip. “Those all sound like normal friend things to Merlin. The only way to get through to him is by straight-up planting one on him.”

“That’s what I did,” Arthur said, and he had the audacity to blush. Then, after taking a swig from his wine, he added, “That’s what you did, too.”

Gwaine looked down at his own hands. “Well, thanks for the apology, anyway. But you already know it wasn’t necessary. Merlin and I weren’t actually involved like that.”

“Weren’t you?”

Gwaine looked up. Arthur’s gaze on him was intense, but the red still burned on his cheeks. 

“See, I got angry and jealous when I thought Merlin was taken,” Arthur started. “So I felt vindictive yet shameful when I thought I was allowing him to betray you.”

His hands were fidgeting with the cup again, and it was distracting Gwaine. 

“When he told me what had really happened, he told me that his ‘yes’ to you didn’t mean ‘no’ to me.”

He felt the strange need to reach out, grab Arthur’s hand to stop him from trailing his finger on the rim of the cup.

“And I think you got the wrong idea,” Arthur said and set his lips to his cup again. Gwaine watched his Adam’s apple move as he swallowed it down. “His ‘yes’ to me doesn’t mean a ‘no’ to you, either. Just like me, with him and Gwen.”

“And where does that leave us?” Gwaine asked, his voice low. “We share?”

“You tell me,” Arthur whispered, and his gaze dropped down to Gwaine’s lips.

Without breaking eye contact, Gwaine seized the fidgeting hand on Arthur’s cup. Rising from his seat, he leaned over to cradle Arthur’s face in his remaining hand. A red droplet sat at the corner of Arthur’s mouth. He swept it away with his thumb.

“You had some wine there,” Gwaine spoke softly. Arthur blinked back for a second but then closed the distance between them, pressing their lips together. Gwaine’s mind went completely blank at the soft warmth of _Arthur_ against him. His mouth opened to get a taste. To allow Arthur’s tongue in. To go _deeper_ \--

The door opened with a creak. Merlin’s voice sounded through the room, “Okay. Wow.”

Gwaine pulled back only slightly, to rest his forehead against Arthur’s. Arthur’s hand rested in his hair and the man made no move of letting go just yet.

He had no explanation for what he was doing. Or what he was feeling. Gwaine felt hopelessly out of his depth here; as if he was taking part in a play somebody else wrote and he had forgotten to learn his lines.

Had Arthur planned to seduce him or was it all mere coincidence?

He withdrew, breaking free from Arthur’s grasp. His gaze flitted from Arthur’s flushed face, to the wine, to the uneaten bread, and then to Merlin. “I think we need to talk.”

Merlin stood there wordlessly, watching them both, a silver-plated cup in his hands. Then he nodded and installed himself at the table with them. 

Gwaine focused his nervous eyes on Merlin’s. “If this is to happen tonight only, and never again -- I don’t want it,” he stated.

“Me, neither,” Merlin said, and his eyes slid over to Arthur, across the table. Gwaine followed his gaze.

Arthur blinked back at both of them. “We can share,” he said.

Gwaine’s lips still tingled from the kiss. “Just him and you, and him and me? Is that what you mean?”

Arthur reached out to hold Gwaine’s hand. “I think you’ll find I’m amenable to other options.”

With a smile playing around on his lips, Gwaine looked back to Merlin. His expression was soft and he seemed to like what he was hearing. Gwaine said, “Clearly I’m not the only one here who is ready to explore these options.”

“Alright,” Arthur said with an eyebrow quirked. He eyed Gwaine’s empty wine cup. “I think Merlin’s behind on us with the wine.”

“We should fix that,” Gwaine hummed in agreement. 

Arthur reached for the cup that was discarded and forgotten in the conversation. As he grabbed the wine, he said, “Merlin, get on the bed.” His eyes were still trained on Gwaine.

An edge was present to his voice that hadn’t been there before. The statement was more akin to the commands Arthur barked out to Merlin in normal situations than anything he’d said since Gwaine had come in. So Gwaine expected Merlin to bite back, to start a squabble as they so frequently did, but when he looked over --

Merlin had a blush on his face. Wordlessly, he got up and moved to the bed. He sat down on the edge, looking all innocent and stunning from under his long eyelashes.

“Up, up, sit against the headrest,” Arthur directed, taking his own seat at the edge next to the younger man. “Yes, like that. You coming?” He jerked his head at Gwaine, who hastily joined the two and sat at Merlin’s other side. 

Arthur put the full wine cup to Merlin’s mouth. “Open up,” he whispered, and as Merlin did so he made eye contact with Gwaine. The smooth drink made its way past Merlin’s plump lips and Gwaine flashed back to the image of those very lips wrapped around his cock only a few days prior. He felt his cock growing. 

When Arthur pulled back to allow Merlin to swallow, he handed the cup to Gwaine. Gwaine knew what Arthur expected of him but he took the moment to lean in and kiss Merlin softly. His lips were wet with the drink. He allowed Merlin to lick at his mouth and press their tongues together. 

Behind them, Arthur made a soft sound.

With a smile, Gwaine pulled back. He brought the cup in front of Merlin’s face, but paused there. “Okay?” he asked. When Merlin gave him a small nod, he tipped the cup in order to serve his friend.

Gwaine watched in wonder as Merlin drank, his lower lip curled around the rim of the cup. He held back in between sips to let Merlin swallow, but he didn’t pull back completely. They continued like that until the cup was emptied. 

In the meantime, Arthur had gotten rid of his own shirt and was stroking up and down Merlin’s lower leg as he was fed wine. Happy with Merlin finishing the drink, Gwaine glanced over at Arthur as he discarded the cup. Naked, soft skin was outstretched over a strong and muscular chest. Desire must have been written all over his face, because Arthur grinned back and pulled him in for a kiss.

“That hair of yours is ridiculous,” Arthur murmured into the kiss. His hand snuck in to stroke the back of Gwaine’s head.

“Ridiculously gorgeous,” Merlin added as he crawled into their space and started pushing Gwaine’s shirt off. Arthur made quick work of Gwaine’s breeches and underpants, exposing his hard cock to the other two men. The king let out an appreciative sound and languidly palmed Gwaine’s erection.

Gwaine groaned softly but looked back over his shoulder at Merlin, fully clothed still. “You’re falling behind again, Merlin.” Both he and Arthur helped Merlin out of his clothes, leaving Merlin slumped against the headboard. Gwaine recognized the faded hickeys on one side of his neck as his own doing during their previous entanglement. But there were also some new marks to be spotted, blossoming a royal purple on his pale skin. Merlin was staring at Arthur, his eyes blazing.

Arthur was stroking Gwaine’s cock. With his free hand, he cupped Merlin’s chin. “I want to watch you suck Gwaine off.”

Gwaine felt dazed at the sheer confidence in Arthur’s statement and considered it. He had come into this bed with different plans. 

Eyeing Merlin’s lips, he said mournfully, “Actually, I had another idea…” 

He leaned over to whisper his plans into Arthur’s ear. Merlin’s eyes darted between the two of them as Arthur hummed enthusiastically and squeezed Gwaine’s cock.

“So we agree,” Gwaine teased when he pulled back. “Merlin, switch places with Arthur.”

“ _I’m_ the one that gives the orders here,” Arthur said, but he nodded at Merlin when the younger man did as he was told. 

“Good,” he said as he sat up, settled against the head of the bed, his legs outstretched in front of him. His crotch was still covered under his pants. “Merlin, take me out and put your mouth on me.”

Merlin glanced behind him for a moment, and must have seen the heat in his eyes mirrored on Gwaine’s face. He proceeded to free Arthur’s cock from his breeches and moved in to give soft kisses to the head.

As Merlin’s head started moving in Arthur’s lap, Gwaine pulled Merlin’s hips up, making his arse stick up in the air. He surveyed the nice curve of Merlin’s behind, running an appreciative hand along the soft skin. He licked his lips.

He gazed up at Arthur, who tilted his head back and then nodded at him.

Gwaine traced his fingertips in between Merlin’s thighs in a light caress, and then lazily pushed them forth to run a finger over Merlin’s hole. Merlin whined, the sound muffled by the thickness of Arthur’s cock. In reaction, Gwaine’s adrenaline spiked and he felt his cock strain for friction on the mattress. He ignored his own arousal to spread Merlin’s buttcheeks and moved in to lick at his entrance.

Merlin moaned again, but Arthur’s guiding hand was keeping him down as to stop him from moving off. Gwaine watched the hand in Merlin’s hair over Merlin’s back as he worked his tongue into Merlin’s arse. 

He was reminded of when Merlin had urged him to push him down like that, and he wondered if this was what he had been trying to get at: a hand to hold him in place, a hand to tell him what to do without putting it into words. 

Gwaine filed that information away for future reference. Focused on his task, he pulled his tongue back to give short, rapid licks to the rim of Merlin’s arse, then pushed it back in and wiggled his tongue around. His hand found Merlin’s cock and stroked it with a soft grip. Merlin’s hips bucked into his hand and then back into his mouth again, trying to find _more_ on both sides. As muffled sounds came from Merlin’s direction again, Gwaine could hear Arthur curse softly.

Mischievously, Gwaine pulled back to give Merlin’s arse cheek a light bite. It earned him a muted yelp, and Merlin’s hips snapped forward. He dove back in to resume licking, and dug his fingers into the flesh of Merlin’s cheek.

“You love this, don’t you?” Arthur murmured, addressing Merlin. “He’s eating you out _so_ well and you’re sucking my cock _so_ well -- it’s filthy, obscene.” Merlin’s cock jerked in Gwaine’s hand. “Good boy.”

Even though the praise was meant for Merlin, Gwaine felt heat spreading through his chest. He pressed his mouth against Merlin’s hole, trying to get _deeper_ and he squeezed Merlin’s erection tighter. His own cock was perking up against the mattress again, his hips slowly moving to get friction and relieve _some_ of the pressure. 

Arthur started moving, his hand staying on Merlin’s head to keep him down as he stretched out to reach into his bedside drawers. When Gwaine pulled back to look up, he was handed a vial of oil.

“Who’s going to fuck him?” Gwaine asked his king, his voice a challenge.

Arthur’s gaze was on his lips. “Me, if you’ll let me.”

The rebellious part in Gwaine felt like he should say no. His previous self would expect him to say no. After all, why should Arthur get to feel Merlin’s tight heat around him when Gwaine was the one preparing him? From Arthur’s tone he knew that his decision would be respected. 

But somewhere deep inside him, he wanted to let Arthur do it. He wanted to watch the two move together as beautiful as they both were, watch them interact the way they did. Watch the ever-present tension between them dissipate as they both got what they wanted.

And thus he nodded back at Arthur, giving him his blessing. He coated his fingers in oil and pushed them into Merlin. His entrance was already spit-slick and loosened from Gwaine’s tongue, and he could push two fingers in with ease.

“Let go of him for a second,” he told Arthur, who had only let up slightly to allow Merlin to breathe through his nose. But now he pulled his hand away, and Merlin let go of Arthur’s cock in order to relax his jaw. Gwaine asked, “Are you good?”

“Yeah,” Merlin breathed, his voice hitched. “More, your fingers, please, more.”

Gwaine did as he was told and he felt Arthur’s burning gaze upon him. He winked at the king and handed the oil back. Arthur took the hint and started trickling oil over his own cock, making it smooth and slick for Merlin.

“Let’s see,” Arthur said in a husky tone. “Shall I take you from behind or do you want to be on your back?”

Merlin looked up, his eyes big and his lips parted. “On my back, I wanna see you --” He turned around and blinked back at Gwaine, almost apologetically. “And Gwaine too, of course.”

Gwaine was still fingering Merlin and shot back a grin. He leaned in to give Merlin’s arse cheek one last kiss before withdrawing his fingers. He gave a little slap on the place he had pressed his lips.

It took some careful repositioning with three pairs of limbs to take into account, but eventually Merlin laid flat on his back with Arthur hovering over him. Gwaine laid next to them, propped up on one elbow, his other hand playfully teasing Merlin’s nipple.

Sleeping with the king had some advantages. The huge bed was one of them.

Gwaine felt blood buzzing in his ears as he watched Arthur’s hand stroke Merlin’s chest and moving down between his thighs, ignoring Merlin’s cock entirely. 

“Legs up,” Arthur said, and Merlin maneuvered his legs up and back at the hips, knees bent. “Good.” He dipped his hand behind Merlin’s balls to check if his hole was still slick, and then aligned their hips together. 

Gwaine watched Merlin’s face intently and could see his eyes flutter shut the moment Arthur pushed in. In a low voice, he whispered, “No, eyes open,” and Merlin’s eyes shot open, looking back at Gwaine. A trick of the light played on Merlin’s eyes, making them appear to shine golden in the heat of his gaze. Gwaine touched a fingertip to Merlin’s cheek and the next time Merlin blinked, the illusion was gone.

Arousal sparked through his body as he watched how Arthur started moving his hips in earnest. With a jolt he realized that his jealousy was nowhere to be found, instead he was all too glad to watch the two together like this. He could not imagine how he had wanted to deny Merlin the unadulterated pleasure that was written over his face. What a shitty friend that would have made him -- or lover, even.

He looked back at Arthur and to his shock he realized that the king was watching him, too. He smiled and moved in to kiss him, lips pressing together open-mouthed. Merlin moaned at the view and Gwaine grasped Arthur’s hair as the other man, too, moaned into the kiss.

“Had to watch Merlin undress,” Arthur panted in between kisses. “Watch him take off that fucking scarf.” His hand found Merlin’s chest to stroke as his mouth moved against Gwaine’s. “And he was marked _all over_ \--” his other hand found Gwaine’s bicep “-- his _neck_ and I _hated_ you for it.”

Gwaine’s mouth stilled, wondering if he should apologize. However, Arthur gave him no time to think.

“It’s time for my revenge,” Arthur said and he let go of Gwaine’s lips, moving to his neck. He sucked on the side of Gwaine’s neck, hard enough to bruise. “Mark you up, teach you how you’re both _mine_.” As he mouthed at Gwaine's neck, his hands pushed Merlin’s knees up to angle his cock in deeper.

Gwaine moaned and his cock _needed_ attention. His hand found the vial of oil. He intended to use it to jerk himself off, but Arthur startled at the object.

Arthur made eye contact and then asked, “Will you fuck me?”

Gwaine blinked back at him, searching his face for a reason to believe that he misunderstood the question. He found none, only desperation and arousal. 

He nodded in response and slid back in between Arthur’s legs, his heart pounding in his throat.

Not even in his wildest fantasies had he considered shagging the king. He knew from his dear friend Lancelot that Arthur was no stranger to taking it up the arse, of course, but Gwaine had never let himself think about it. His heart beat faster, chest filling up with affection.

Gently, he traced a finger up between Arthur’s thighs. The man’s hips were pumping into Merlin underneath him, yet he shivered at the contact. Gwaine couldn’t help but slip a sneaky hand in to squeeze Merlin’s bum. Looking over, Merlin seemed so lost in it he barely registered it.

This would be a _lot_ easier if Arthur stopped moving.

After spreading oil on his hand, Gwaine leaned in to kiss Arthur’s shoulder. “Hold still for a moment, love.” He pushed his oiled forefinger in and breached Arthur’s entrance.

Arthur’s hips stilled as he threw his head back over his shoulder, neck straining as he tried to see what was happening. Merlin also lifted his head up with an inquisitive look.

“You’re sure about this?” Gwaine asked, mouthing at Arthur’s shoulder again. “If you want just this -- just my fingers, that’s fine. I can make you feel so good.”

“Gwaine,” Arthur groaned, impatient. “I asked you to fuck me, so _fuck me_.” His hips strained back and Gwaine added a second finger.

“Let me take my time,” he murmured in a low voice. He scissored his fingers in and out, trying to make room for a third. As he went in deeper, Arthur’s hips started rolling back into Merlin again in a slow back-and-forth. 

Merlin started moaning, but the sound was soon muffled by Arthur’s mouth. Gwaine looked up at the wet sounds of kissing, their lips moving together. He pushed in a third finger and this time it was Arthur’s turn to have his moans muffled by Merlin. 

“Not so talkative anymore, huh?” he smirked, his free hand giving Arthur’s arse a gentle slap.

Arthur pulled back from kissing Merlin. “Shut up and _take me_ ,” he insisted ardently. Gwaine’s smirk turned into another kiss on Arthur’s upper back and he pulled his fingers out. The fire in his belly was burning _hot hot hot_ as he lined his cock up to Arthur’s entrance. 

He was about to ask Arthur to still his movement again, but the man seemed to read his mind and did so before he could ask. Slowly, he started pushing into Arthur. He squeezed his eyes shut, the tight heat around his cock overwhelming him as he felt dizzy for a moment.

Gwaine was trying his hardest not to collapse where he was draped over Arthur’s back, in order to avoid crushing Merlin underneath their combined weight. His arms were outstretched with his hands resting flat on both sides of Merlin’s face. When he opened his eyes, he blinked up at Merlin’s face over Arthur’s shoulder.

Merlin’s gaze was burning again, literally. His eyes shone luminescent in an undetermined light source. Again, when he blinked the honey-golden appearance in his eyes faded away.

Gwaine felt the strength in his legs return and he forgot about the strange phenomenon that was Merlin’s glowing eyes. Similarly, Arthur relaxed on his cock, and Gwaine felt it safe to start moving deeper into him. 

“Arthur, c’mon --” Merlin moaned, desperate for Arthur to get back to it.

Gwaine rolled his hips back and then pushed forward hard, driving Arthur deeper into Merlin. Arthur groaned, “Impatient _gits_ \--”

“Oh, now _we_ ’re the impatient ones, huh?” Gwaine laughed. Arthur fell into the happy rhythm he was trying to settle on, fucking into Merlin and then back onto Gwaine. He pushed back Merlin’s legs to get deeper.

Over Arthur’s shoulder, Gwaine gripped Merlin’s face. His thumb ran over Merlin’s lower lip, whose mouth parted in laboured breathing. He stuck his thumb into Merlin’s mouth, and immediately Merlin started sucking on it. 

“Fuck,” Gwaine whispered, wondering what he’d done to deserve this beauty.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Arthur echoed, panting and his head pushed into Merlin’s neck. “So _fucking_ good, both of you, so _good_ for me --”

Gwaine gave Arthur’s arse another slap.

Arthur yelped as he tried to lift his head and turn around, but he settled on biting into Gwaine’s hand on Merlin’s face instead. “Don’t slap me, Gwaine, I’m your -- ungh, your _king_.”

Still fucking into his king, Gwaine slapped Arthur’s arse one more time, harder than the last one. 

“I’ll have you -- _know_ ,” Arthur panted, “you’re only getting away with this, _oh gods_ , on account of -- your _\-- excellent_ \-- cock.”

“You’re still talking,” Gwaine murmured. “Are we not doing a good job _serving_ you, my liege?”

Arthur groaned. His skin was flushed all over, droplets of sweat sitting in his hair and on his neck. Gwaine leant in to lick them away on the side of his neck, then he bit gently. Arthur’s hand shot up to push his mouth away.

“No visible bite marks,” he said.

Bit hypocritical, Gwaine thought as he could still feel the bruise on his own neck. But he obeyed and sucked at Arthur’s shoulder instead. Not hard enough to break the tougher skin, but in a spot where an accident didn’t matter as much.

“Fuck,” he moaned. “So good, Arthur.” Arthur moaned back at him and the enticing sound made something click in Gwaine’s brain. “You like it when I praise you? You want to be worshiped, Your Highness?”

Arthur’s voice dropped lower as he grunted in response. Gwaine continued, “You’re perfect, my king. You make the best sounds -- you, ah, you’re taking me _so_ well. Like you were made to be fucked. _Everyone_ should see how good our king can take a cock. Gonna fill you up.” He could tell that Arthur was getting close, the rhythm faltering as Gwaine tried to catch him. “Would love to watch you get fucked by Merlin --”

“Arthur,” Merlin moaned under them. “Please, Arthur, I need --”

“Yes, gods yes,” Arthur moaned right back at him. “Come for me, darling.”

With that, Arthur’s hips started stuttering too. Gwaine realized that Arthur had a hand between himself and Merlin, jerking on Merlin’s cock. Wordlessly, he stroked Arthur’s bicep as both the men under him were panting and drowning in their own pleasure, Arthur releasing deep into Merlin with a shout while Merlin’s come streaked the skin of Arthur’s abdomen.

Gwaine stilled his hips to give the other man a break, not ready for his own orgasm yet. His desire burned bright throughout his body as Arthur and Merlin kissed each other hungrily. Both had a blissed out look on their face, sated and happy.

“Don’t collapse,” Gwaine whispered into Arthur’s ear, feeling the other man’s knees shake under him. “Let’s move off Merlin, yeah?”

They rolled off, Gwaine squeezing Arthur tight to prevent his cock from slipping out of his king. They laid out on their side, Arthur in Gwaine’s arms as he faced Merlin and held him in his own. Merlin carefully stretched out his legs, rubbing his hand over where it must be aching.

“I’ve never been fucked so well,” Arthur declared, stroking Merlin’s arm. 

“Yeah?” Gwaine smiled into Arthur’s shoulder, his hips slowly moving against his arse.

“I’m keeping you, you’re mine now,” Arthur said, charming his way into Gwaine’s heart.

“Ours,” Merlin corrected, and he leaned over Arthur to kiss Gwaine’s forehead. 

The easy affection agitated the hunger in Gwaine, and he grasped Merlin’s face to kiss his soft lips. He started rocking into Arthur. He panted, “Both of you, so gorgeous.”

Arthur made a noise, his back arching as he shifted his spine to allow Gwaine in deeper. Gwaine moaned as he buried his cock to the hilt. When he was on top of Arthur, it had felt great to feel the other man fuck back onto his cock to pleasure all three of them at the same time -- but the angle hadn’t allowed Gwaine to go very deep. On their sides, it was different. He let go of Merlin to grip Arthur’s hip tightly and snapped his hips back and forth.

His pleasure was still built up from before, and he felt himself pushed right back to the edge.

Gwaine slithered his hand into Arthur’s gilded-blond hair. “So gorgeous,” he repeated. Then he let out a strangled cry, rolling his hips into Arthur once more as he spilled his seed into him. 

The frantic gratification burned through Gwaine in shocks. His hips stammered against Arthur’s as he rode it out, fingers pulling on the other man’s hair, nails digging into his hip and teeth biting into his shoulder. He vaguely realized he was tasting blood.

Merlin climbed over Arthur and Gwaine both, and he settled on the other side of Gwaine to press against his back and hold him tight.

“This bed,” Gwaine groaned, releasing his grip on Arthur. He blinked his eyes open, not sure when he had closed them. “I’m in love with this bed.”

Arthur wiggled his hips, pulling away from Gwaine’s softening cock. Gwaine winced as he slipped out of Arthur.

“Yeah?” Arthur asked as he turned around to face Gwaine. “Is this bed enough of a reason for you to return?”

A soft smile formed on Gwaine’s lips and he knew a blush was creeping up on his cheeks. “Among others.” He brought his hand up to stroke Arthur’s cheek. 

Merlin parted Gwaine’s hair to softly kiss his neck. “This was fun.”

Gwaine brushed his feet up between Merlin’s calves. “I agree.”

“You know,” Merlin said, “That was my first threesome.”

Gwaine couldn’t say the same, but he chuckled regardless. Arthur piped up, “You’re willing to do more?”

“With present company? Definitely.”

Gwaine’s eyebrows raised at Arthur’s excited face. That man was up to no good.

“And others?” Arthur asked. “Gwen?”

“She’s like my sister,” Merlin said, and Gwaine could practically _hear_ him pull a face. “Elyan, however…”

“You two should discuss your future conquests another time,” Gwaine interrupted before Arthur’s pensive look could come to a conclusion. “Now, I need more kisses.”

They both swiftly acquiesced and he was kissed from both sides. 

Things were good. The two other men had to figure out a few things together, and if Gwaine wasn’t supposed to take part in everything then that was okay with him. As long as they invited him in sometimes, he was happy.

At least Arthur had a bed that could hold them all.

**Author's Note:**

> Next chapter will be up in a couple of days when I finish editing. Comments are love <3


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